Name ______________________________________
Date _________________
Class Period ________
English 10 – Diagnostic Test
Vocabulary
in Context
Read the following passage paying special attention to the words in
boldface type. Then complete each statement given below the passage
by circling the letter of the item that is the same or almost the same in
meaning as the highlighted word.
Screen Time
(Line)
(5)
(10)
(15)
(20)
Americans’ love of the movies goes back to the early years of the twentieth
century, when shabby little theaters charged a nickel to see a film about a lurid
crime, a meritorious deed, or a thrilling chase. These twenty-minute “flickers,” as
many called them, offered a short but exciting hiatus from everyday life. By the
1920’s the movies had become big business, and cities bragged of cinema palaces
three stories tall, their lobbies embellished with splendid carpeted stairways,
plaster statues, and colorful lighting. Built in the center of town, these theaters
showed brand-new, less hackneyed, and longer films, which were later shown at
smaller neighborhood theaters and in provincial towns.
In the 1930’s the Great Depression hit. Banks closed, businesses failed, and
ten percent of Americans lost their jobs, while many others accepted wage cuts and
feared they would be next. By now it cost twenty cents to go to the movies, which was
more than the price of a loaf of bread. Why should frightened people short of cash spend
money unnecessarily?
Move-makers came up with clever answers. For many years they had made films
in which poor people proved themselves smarter, kinder, or braver than the rich and
jaded. To these they now added movies made from novels set in faraway times and places
unlike the alarming here and now. Theaters began showing two full-length films for the price
of one, added a cartoon, gave away dishes, and awarded money to the holder of the lucky
ticket on “bank night.” Ticket sales climbed, and going to the movies every week became
an American pastime.
1. The meaning of lurid (line 2) is:
a. unsolved
c. true
b. ghastly
d. ridiculous
2. Meritorious (line 3) most nearly means:
a. difficult
c. wicked
b. praiseworthy d. unusual
3. Hiatus (line 4) is best defined as:
a. story
c. pause
b. excerpt
d. lesson
4. The meaning of hackneyed (line 8) is:
a. ragged
c. noisy
b. exciting
d. trite
5. Provincial (line 9) most nearly means:
a. outlying
c. deserving
b. prosperous d. middle-size
6. Jaded (line 17) is best described as:
a. famous
c. disappointed
b. notorious
d. surfeited
Literal or Figurative Usage
When a word is used in literal sense, it is being employed in its strict (or primary) dictionary
meaning in a situation (or context) that “makes sense” from a purely logical or realistic point of view.
For example:
Yesterday I read an old tale about a knight who slew a fire-breathing dragon.
In this sentence, fire-breathing is employed literally. The dragon is pictured as breathing real fire.
Sometimes words are used in a symbolic or nonliteral way in situations that do not “make sense”
from a purely logical or realistic point of view. We call this nonliteral application of a word a
figurative or metaphorical usage. For example:
Suddenly my boss rushed into my office, breathing fire.
In this sentence breathing fire is not being used in a literal sense. That is, the boss was not actually
breathing fire out of his nostrils. Rather, the expression is intended to convey graphically that the
boss was very angry.
Exercises
In the space provided, write L for “literal” or F for “figurative” next to each of the
following sentences to show how the italicized expression is being used.
_____
7. The years of silence allowed resentment to silently creep into their relationship.
_____
8. The ivy vines crept over the trestle.
_____
9. “it was easy as cake,” she said of the math exam.
Synonyms
A synonym is a word that has the same or almost the same meaning as another
word. Here are some examples:
eat—consume
clash—conflict
hurt—injure
fire—discharge
big—large
slim—slender
Exercises
In each of the following groups, circle the word that is most nearly the
synonym of the word in boldface type.
10. opaque
a. sturdy
b. cubic
c. ionic
d. murky
11. salvage
12. dilate
a. garner
a. soften
b. save
b. enrich
c. requisition
c. enlarge
d. surrender
d. dissolve
13. rectify
a. corroborate
b. subscribe
c. usurp
d. correct
Antonyms
An antonym is a word that means the opposite of or almost the opposite of another
word. Here are some examples:
enter—leave
wild—tame
Exercises
buy—sell
war—peace
In each of the following groups, circle the one that is most nearly the antonym of the
word in boldface type.
14. candid
a. dishonest
b. alien
c. new
d. accepted
Directions
happy—sad
leader—follower
15. embroil
a. embargo
b. extricate
c. entangle
d. enigma
16. chaos
17. immunity
a. science
a. untenable
b. entropy
b. eminence
c. order
c. susceptibility
d. imposition
d. boorishness
Read the passage. Use the hints to help you answer the questions.
Prejudice
(1) Prejudice works against people. (2) For example, Native Americans had their own
cultural beliefs, customs, and religions, as did the Europeans. (3) However, where the two cultures
clashed, there was disharmony. (4) In many cases, some Europeans forced their own religions upon
the Native Americans, took over their land, and showed great disrespect for their ways. (5) There
was soon great animosity between the two peoples. (6) Sometimes this took the form of fighting and
war, and other times, the conflict existed primarily in attitudes toward one another. (7) Native
Americans developed stereotypes of Europeans as dishonest schemers. (8) Europeans created
stereotypes of Native Americans as horribly ignorant. (9) Each culture was prejudiced against the
other. (10) All because they had different ideas.
18. If the author added an independent clause to sentence 1, it would be a
A. simple sentence.
B. complex sentence.
C. compound sentence.
D. complex-compound sentence.
19. Sentence 10 is a
A. simple sentence.
B. compound sentence.
C. subordinate clause.
D. complex sentence.
Directions
Read the passage then answer the following questions.
This spring, many students at Lakeville High have decided to participate in photography as
an extracurricular activity. Mr. Charles, the group’s sponsor, is a skilled and dedicated photographer
he is excited to teach students the craft. Lakeville now has its own darkroom, any many students are
learning how to develop film. Photography students take pictures for the monthly school paper. As
well as the award-winning Lakeville High annual yearbook. Students should consider spending time
pursuing this pastime. Anyone interested in becoming a photographer or journalist should consider
joining the photography staff.
20. Which of the following sentences is a fragment?
A. This spring, many students at Lakeville High have decided to participate in photography
as an extracurricular activity.
B. Lakeville now has its own darkroom, and many students are learning how to develop film.
C. As well as the award-winning Lakeville High annual yearbook.
D. Students should consider spending time pursuing this pastime.
21. Which of the following sentences is a run-on?
A. Mr. Charles, the group’s sponsor, is a skilled and dedicated photographer he is excited to
teach students the craft.
B. Photography students take pictures for the monthly school paper.
C. Students would consider spending time pursuing this pastime.
D. Anyone interested in becoming a photographer or journalist should consider joining the
photography staff.
Grammar and Usage Read the passage and answer the following questions.
(1) Harry Crews is a writer known for his odd characters. (2) Crews had became a
writer after studying creative writing at the University of Georgia. (3) His ________________ novel, A
Childhood: The Biography of a Place, features the life of a poor boy in the Deep South. (4) Crews had
been injured badly in a freak accident as a child. (5) This experience affected his world view, which
features insanity, bizarre compulsions, and obsessions.
22. Which sentence contains an error in verb tense?
A. sentence 1
B. sentence 2
C. sentence 4
D. sentence 5
23. Which word, or words, will correctly fill in the blank in sentence 3?
A. better know
B. better knowed
C. best known
D. bester know
Directions
Read the passage then answer the questions that follow.
(1) Our class recently took a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (2) We each had
an assignment: to write a short essay about one of the works of art we viewed in the museum’s
collection. (3) Coincidentally, Patricia and me picked the same painting. (4) She and I chose “Young
Woman With a Water Pitcher” by Johannes Vermeer. (5) When it came time to present her essay to
the rest of the class, Patricia told herself that she should have chosen a different work. (6) She was
worried that my presentation would be more thorough and insightful than hers. (7) “Anna,” she told
me, “maybe we should both start over again.” (8) In the end, however, both of us gave her reports,
and neither of us was displeased with their grades.
24. Which of the following sentences contains incorrect pronoun usage?
A. sentence 1
B. sentence 2
C. sentence 3
D. sentence 4
25. What is the correct way to write the sentence “In the end, however, both of us gave her reports,
and neither of us was displeased with their grades”?
A. In the end, however, both of us gave our reports, and neither of us was displeased with
their grades.
B. In the end, however, both of us gave her reports, and neither of us was displeased with our
grades.
C. In the end, however, both of us gave our reports, and neither of us was displeased with our
grades.
D. In the end, however, both of us gave their reports, and neither of us was displeased with
our grades.
26. What is the subject of sentence 1 (1)?
A. recently
B. field trip
C. class
D. Metropolitan Museum of Art
27. What is the verb in sentence 6 (6)?
A. She
B. was
C. was worried
D. would be
28. What is the direct object in sentence 1 (1)?
A. class
B. recently took
C. Metropolitan Museum of Art
D. field trip
Directions
Read the following passage then answer the questions below.
Have you ever had the eerie feeling that you experienced a new situation before? This feeling
is called déjà vu. The experience feels so familiar and you are convinced that this happened before.
Both children and adults have reported déjà vu experiences. In a way, this is almost opposite to the
theory of tabula rasa, which means having no preconceived ideas or experiences. Up until the middle
of the century, all children were seen as tabula rasae. This means that children were born with no
knowledge. Everything had to be learned. Studies on twins and adopted children have shown that
our genes have influence on some of our personal characteristics and traits.
Déjà vu [orig. Fr., “already seen”] n. a feeling of having already experienced the present situation.
Tabula rasa [orig. L., “scraped table,” i.e., a tablet with the writing erased.] 1. And absence of
preconceived ideas or goals. 2. A clean slate. 3. The human mind, especially at birth, viewed as having
no innate ideas.
29. Which part of speech is the term déjà vu?
A. noun
B. verb
C. preposition
D. conjunction
30. From which language did the term tabula rasa come from?
A. French
B. German
C. Latin
D. Greek
Key
1. B - ghastly
2. B – praiseworthy
3. C – pause
4. D – trite
5. A – outlying
6. D – surfeited
7. F – figurative
8. L – literal
9. F – figurative
10. D – murky
11. B – save
12. C – enlarge
13. D – correct
14. A – dishonest
15. B – extricate
16. C – order
17. C – susceptibility
18. C – compound sentence
19. C – subordinate clause
20. C – As well as the award-winning Lakeville High annual yearbook.
21. A – Mr. Charles, the group’s sponsor, is a skilled and dedicated photographer he is excited to teach
students the craft.
22. B – sentence 2
23. C – best known
24. C – sentence 3
25. C – In the end, however, both of us gave our reports, and neither of us was displeased with our
grades.
26. C – our
27. B – was
28. D – field trip
29. A – noun
30. C – Latin